Coincidentally I just read a post from a business that's finding ordinary bank transfers getting more traction from customers than they expected:
https://www.revk.uk/2020/06/beyond-credit-cards-is-this-way-...
https://www.revk.uk/2020/06/beyond-credit-cards-is-this-way-...
The traditional problem with bank-to-bank transfers in a retail, or point-of-sale, setting has been speed. Cheque was about the fastest that could be mustered.
But with developments like UK Faster Payments (which is mentioned in your link) bank-to-bank transfers are getting faster, in some cases instant. And so usability at the point-of-sale is now on par with cards.
In Holland, iDEAL is used a lot for retail purchases. It's an instant bank-to-bank payment option that competes with the card networks.
The equivalent in Sweden is Swish. It too is moving into point-of-sale payments.
As for the US, I suspect that at some point Zelle will pivot into retail point-of-sale payments. At which point the card networks will have a big competitor.
All of this is good news if you are worried about the card oligopolies!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Mobile_Payment_Syst...
As a consumer, a credit or debit card gives me a lot of protection. I wouldn't give that up for anything (oh, and the cashback I get too).
You open the MobilePay app, and touch the NFC thing. The amount and payee is shown, and you swipe to confirm the payment. The retailer's POS gets a message.
In a small shop without a fancy POS system, they just print a paper QR code. You can scan that, but you need to type the amount yourself.
[1] https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/5564e82de4b0edcad...
They also assume you are involved in the illegal activity and you have to interview at the bank. All this for what can amount to a 20-50 GBP payment, and even if it represents <1% of your transfer volume.
If bank payments are going to become prevalent in e-commerce, this type of primitive reaction to fraud will need to improve drastically.
Apple Pay/Google Pay already offers near-instantaneous, highly-secure transactions in most stores - and with good consumer protection. Contactless cards offer the same up to £45.
I can get cashback/miles/reward points too.
What does a bank to bank transfer offer me as a consumer?
The difference between the Nordic countries and elsewhere may be that 10 years ago, these contactless payment methods weren't widespread.
If you have a basic consumer dispute about something (such as a retailer not giving a repair/refund for a faulty item), you should be able to file a chargeback with the card issuer and get a refund.
In the UK, a credit card is much better though, as for any purchase over £100, the card issuer is joinly liable with the retailer for any issues.
https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/section-7...
In the US, most PIN debit card transfers occur via either MasterCard's Maestro or Visa's Interlink debit networks. Signature debit payments go through MasterCard/Visa's credit card networks. So you've still got the duopoly problem.